Tag Archives: expert tips

Anti-ageing – it’s not all about wrinkles

Often when we think about anti-ageing or Ageing Slowly as we call it at Skin Essentials, the focus is on wrinkles, whether reversing the appearance and depth of ones already there or preventing them in the first place.

Anti-ageing, skin essentials by mariga, wexford, skincare clinic

But there is so much more to anti-ageing than wrinkle management!

I would even go so far as to say that lines and wrinkles are not the most visibly ageing factor I see on skin.

Here are my top three ‘stealth-agers’ that you need to know about:

If I had to choose (not that I want to) between eradicating lines or eradicating dullness I would opt for the second choice every time.

Every skin looks more youthful, vital and beautiful when it is radiant, regardless of whether there are lines and wrinkles present or not. My top treatment choice for restoring radiance is with customised peels. Read about them here.

For an added boost, LED light therapy is a gentle yet powerful way to stimulate skin’s natural processes and reveal radiance.

Another factor that subtly adds to the visible ageing of our faces is colour anomalies such as visible red veins or capillaries and brown sun spots.

The good news is that these can be treated very quickly and easily with diathermy or cryotherapy to restore an even complexion.

Finally in my trio of silent agers is the down-turning of the corners of the lips that occurs so gradually with natural ageing that we are hardly aware of it, but restoring the volume in this area with needle-free hyaluronic acid filler can have a huge effect on the overall appearance of the face – without looking like you have had anything done.

See an example from one of our hydroporation clients in the photo below.

Before and after hydroporation for lip and mouth lines, course of 3 plus one top up session from Skin Essentials by Mariga skin clinic Wexford

And of course we can tighten skin and reduce lines and wrinkles with my personal favourite treatment – bio-therapeutic needling.

An absolute MUST if you want to prevent or rewind lines, and who doesn’t?

Each individual will likely need a combination of two or more of these treatments to effectively manage ALL the signs of ageing.

We can create a bespoke plan for you taking in to account your unique skin history and lifestyle influences.

Give us a call on 053 9145981 to begin your personalised Age Slowly Plan today or book an appointment online here.

Melasma – tips to prevent & treat skin pigmentation

Melasma is one type of pigmentation that can affect the skin of the face.

Melasma is a generalised darkening of the skin, often in a butterfly pattern, across the centre of the face and usually involving the upper lip area.

It can be caused by hormonal influences such as pregnancy or contraceptive pill or deep skin damage due to bad sunburn or aesthetic procedure.

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Watch the video to find out Mariga’s tips on the products that can prevent and reduce the appearance of melasma, treatments to fade surface pigmentation and when it can’t be helped.

For personalised advice and recommendations call our Wexford Town skin clinic on 053 9145981 to book The Skin Essentials by Mariga unique comprehensive skin analysis or use our online clinic service to arrange a distance skin assessment.

We look forward to helping you feel happy and confident in your skin.

Have you read Mariga’s e-book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life!

Own it now on Kindle for just €2.99

Cover of The Skincare Rules- how to have great skin for life by Wexford skin clinic owner and author Mariga Sheedy

The Skincare Rules by Mariga Sheedy

Scroll through our treatments and book in with us to start your skincare journey with Skin Essentials. We have a wide range of skincare treatments available as well as an effective range of skincare products seen in our shop.

Step by step anti-ageing routines for all ages

Anti-ageing routines for every age: what to use and when.

anti-ageing partner

As SPF is the best tool in your anti-ageing arsenal, it is never too early to start thinking about anti-ageing! Keeping a broad-spectrum SPF30 with UVA+UVB filters as the last step in your daytime skincare routine is your best defence against premature ageing and those that do this from a young age will reap the benefits for decades. Use a good anti-oxidant cleanser, a daily moisturiser with SPF30 and a lightweight but nourishing night cream.

Note: all these recommendations pre-suppose a normal or average skin with no issues other than to keep a healthy skin and slow the visible ageing process. Anyone from dry to balanced to oily will benefit from these anti-ageing routines. If you have other issues to address such as sensitised or reactive skin, rosacea, acne, red veins, medically-compromised etc. we can tailor a corrective programme just for you and phase in a customised anti-ageing programme when your skin is stronger. All products mentioned should be used around the eyes as well as the rest of the face.

Your basic skincare routine if you are under 25 should look like this – remember this is also the basis for every other age skincare routine to build on:

Morning:
Rinse with water and a microfibre cloth
Apply SPF30 Day Cream

Evening:
Cleanser with Skin Comfort Cleansing Oil
Apply Hydrating Cream

In your mid 20’s:
Start adding in a nutrient-rich serum day and night to counter the natural slow down of skin processes and the negative effects of pollution, hectic lifestyles and less-than-perfect food and drink choices. This will be the biggest step in dramatically slowing down the formation of lines and wrinkles in the future. Prevention is always better than cure!

Morning:
Rinse with water and a microfibre cloth
Apply Essential Nutrient Serum
Apply SPF30 Day Cream

Evening:
Cleanser with Skin Comfort Cleansing Oil
Apply Lipid Repair Concentrate 3 times a week, more often if skin is dry
Apply Hydrating Cream
In your early – mid 30’s:
Swap out your basic water-based serum for a more targeted collagen-supporting one. In your 30’s is when collagen production really begins to slow down and manifests later on the skin as lines, wrinkles, enlarged pores and thinning skin. Again, beginning a collagen boosting routine before you think you need it will pay off, as the changes are already happening deep in your skin that will show up in your late 30’s if you don’t target them early. It is a good time to switch to a richer, but still not greasy, night cream unless you have very oily skin.

Morning:
Rinse with water and a microfibre cloth
Apply Hydra Collagen Serum
Apply SPF30 Day Cream

Evening:
Cleanser with Skin Comfort Cleansing Oil
Apply Lipid Repair Concentrate
Apply Hydrating Cream if skin is oily, Skin Comfort Cream instead if skin is normal/dry

In your late 30’s to early 40’s:
It’s time to add in a vitamin A product to normalise cellular turnover, reduce any lines and further slow the formation of new ones, keep pores clear and minimise pigmentation spots. Vitamin A will keep the surface texture of your skin smooth, fight lines and wrinkles and slow the progress of pigmentation spots.

Morning:
Rinse with water and a microfibre cloth
Apply Hydra Collagen Serum
Apply SPF30 Day Cream

Evening:
Cleanser with Skin Comfort Cleansing Oil
Apply Age Slowly Serum
Apply Lipid Repair Concentrate 3 times a week, more often if skin is dry
Apply Hydrating Cream if skin is oily, Skin Comfort Cream instead if skin is normal/dry
In your mid-late 40’s (women only)
This is time to add in a product to help balance the unwanted effects on the skin caused by declining oestrogen such as lip lines, crepey skin texture and dullness. Our Youth Boost add-in product is simply mixed with your regular cream to take care of these issues seen in peri-menopause and beyond.

Morning:
Rinse with water and a microfibre cloth
Apply Hydra Collagen Serum
Apply SPF30 Day Cream

Evening:
Cleanser with Skin Comfort Cleansing Oil
Apply Age Slowly Serum
Apply Lipid Repair Concentrate 3 times a week, more often if skin is dry
Apply Skin Comfort Cream with added Youth Boost
In your 50’s and beyond:
There should be no need to change your skincare routine any further, the anti-ageing products you are already using will continue to supply all the nutritional benefits your skin needs. As oestrogen and collagen-forming ingredients further decline naturally in the body, your Hydra Collagen Serum and Youth Boost will keep working hard to balance these effects.

Using these products will keep your skin healthy and younger for a lot longer than using non-targeted, non-active, mass-market skincare products. But of course off you have started somewhere in the middle of these age groups, and already had some visible signs of ageing then you will benefit from adding in clinical revision treatments such as bio-therapeutic needling to reverse age damage already visible. Clinical treatments tailored for your skin will also benefit all ages and stages of skin care to even further delay the visible signs of ageing.

Remember, all these recommendations pre-suppose a normal or average skin with no issues other than to keep a healthy skin and slow the visible ageing process. Anyone from dry to balanced to oily will benefit from these anti-ageing routines. If you have other issues to address such as sensitised or reactive skin, rosacea, acne, red veins, medically-compromised etc. we can tailor a corrective programme just for you and phase in a customised anti-ageing programme when your skin is stronger.

All products mentioned can be purchased from our online shop or from our Wexford Town skin care clinic.

Need help with your routine? Call us on 053 9145981 or email info@skinessentialsbymariga.com

Have you read Mariga’s e-book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life! Buy it here for €2.99

The Skincare Rules by Skin Essentials founder Mariga Sheedy. Everything you need to know to get great skin, for life.

Is your phone damaging your skin?

Tips for neutralising blue light damage in your skin.

Did you know? We have a new source of free-radical skin damage to worry about now!
Blue light from your computer/mobile devices can have a negative impact on your skin. A recent report claims that four days computer time is the equivalent of twenty minutes exposure to the midday sun and that blue light goes deeper than UVA/UVB rays, accelerating oxidisation and damaging the vital skin barrier.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to bin your phone, just incorporate some simple tips to minimise the impact on your skin. For many of you, especially if you are already a Skin Essentials client, you will already be doing this so no change will be needed!

What is free-radical damage anyway?
Also known as oxidisation, free radical damage occurs when the skin is exposed to more biologically-stressing factors than it can effectively cope with. Our skin comes with naturally-occurring, in-built anti-oxidant capability but this can be easily overwhelmed in today’s world where almost everything we do, eat and apply adds to the oxidative stress load. Also, as we get older, these natural defence components of the skin reduce in concentration, meaning the older you are, the faster your skin will show damage from your environment. Yikes!

Of course, we have lots of help on hand for you in the form of topically-applied anti-oxidants that will offer immediate repair and also build long term strength to aid your skin cells in fighting the accelerated signs of ageing caused by free-radical damage.

Simply apply the advice below to drastically reduce the impact of blue light and other oxidants on your complexion.

1. Using a daily sunscreen with UVA/UVB filter and added anti-oxidants will protect you from blue light as well as sunlight. Another reason to make your daily SPF a last step in your skincare routine 365 days a year! Our daily SPF30 advanced protection cream will give you great protection while also supplying anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals.

2. Great ingredients in your skincare for repair are Vitamins C,A & E, green tea extract, dismutase super-oxide, niacin amide, ceramides, plant sterols. There are many, many anti-oxidants and the best approach is just like with your diet – get a variety for optimum skin health.

3. If you are over 35 your collagen will be breaking down faster then before so it is time to add a powerful serum full of ingredients targeted at helping the fibroblasts in your skin make and maintain good quality collagen for many years to come. Our Hydra Collagen Serum, used under your SPF, gives you added anti-ageing, anti-pollution, anti-oxidant, hydrating and collagen building goodness. No wonder it’s our best-selling serum!

4. Your skin also needs oil-soluble anti-oxidants to repair free radical damage in the vital lipid layers of the skin. Lipid Repair Concentrate is our stand-out facial oil formulated to repair and rebuild stressed, damaged and compromised skin. Use morning (dry skin) or at night (normal/oily skin) after your water based serum for complete skin repair.

5. Get anti-oxidants from the inside too. Help your skin to produce natural anti-oxidants. Eat a varied diet rich in omegas, fruit and vegetables. Keep hydrated.

6. It may seem obvious, but minimise exposure to blue light, direct sunlight and pollution where possible and protect well where it is unavoidable.

7. Avoid ingredients that can irritate your skin, causing a greater stress load on your cells. Worst offenders are perfume, sulphates and essential oils.

8. Make sure that your professional treatments are addressing your anti-oxidant needs. Tell your skin therapist if you spend a lot of time in front of your computer. The Skin Essentials Barrier Repair Facial is a great monthly facial to help reduce oxidative stress as well as the deeper lipid peroxidation that is the secondary stage of oxidative damage, and of course it offers barrier repair. All this and it’s very relaxing too.

I hope you find these tips helpful. Remember, at Skin Essentials by Mariga we are always researching and innovating to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information as well as practical solutions for all skin issues you might encounter, even ones you haven’t heard of yet!

Products mentioned can be bought from the Skin Essentials clinic in Wexford, or on our webshop. Need advice on choosing? Call us on 053 9145981.

Like these tips? Find much more on our blog, YouTube channel or Facebook page.

Read Mariga’s book – The Skincare Rules – for easy, everyday tips to help you get great skin – for life!

Available now from Amazon worldwide

Mariga’s skincare routine, what the professional uses!

Inside Mariga’s skincare routine: what I’m using right now.

“What do you use on your own skin” or “I want my skin to look like yours” are two of the most frequent comments I get from clients either here in the clinic or online (and it’s very flattering, thank you!)

Although we customise every treatment plan for the individual, I thought it might be useful to detail what I am currently using on my own skin both at home and clinically, to illustrate the type of routine that a dedicated skincare client typically follows.

I tend to change my skincare up seasonally, as our skin’s needs change with the weather – and THAT can be a world of fun in Ireland of course 🙂

Of course everyone’s basic skin type stays the same for life so that is taken into account first in your permanent products, then seasonal changes or fluctuations due to illness, stress, ambient environment etc. are treated as needed.

So, here is my current day and night routine. My basic skin type is dry and I also have a tendency to redness due to my typically Celtic fair skin/red hair combo. These are treated with my permanent skincare staples of Skin Comfort Cream, Skin Comfort Cleanser and Lipid Repair Concentrate. I am always keeping one eye on anti-ageing too of course and for this I use Hydra Collagen Serum and Overnight repair Cream.
I consider SPF to be a basic part of everyones routine regardless of skin type, age, gender or current skin condition.

Buy your Skin Essentials by Mariga products here

Here is my typical daytime routine:

Rinse with warm water and microfibre cloth, no cleanser.
Apply 1 pump of Hydra Collagen Serum while my skin is still damp, making sure to get it all around the eye contour as well as the rest of the face.
Apply a small amount of Skin Comfort Cream
Follow with SPF30

Rich comfort cream for dry, irritated or fragile skin.

I LOVE this cream!

In the evening:

I cleanse with Skin Comfort Cleanser then apply either Lipid Repair Concentrate followed by Skin Comfort Cream or Overnight Repair Cream followed by Skin Comfort Cream. Usually I use the Lipid Repair combo more often in the winter, the Overnight Repair more often in the summer.

An Anti-ageing MUST have. Amazing around eyes too.

Weekly:

Once a week or more often if I remember, I do a home needling treatment using Hyaluronic+ Moisture Boost Serum. This just takes 5 minutes and is amazing for long-term anti-ageing.

Clinically, I have microneedling treatments for anti-ageing and a balancing skin treatment whenever necessary.

Do you have dry skin too? See more tips for managing this skin type in the video below.

Mariga’s skincare journey – a story of sticking to the skincare rules!

Mariga’s personal skincare journey – a story of compliance and commitment.

No deterioration in pore size and refinement in 5 years!

At Skin Essentials by Mariga we ask all our clients to take a big leap of faith with us. Namely, to trust that the advice and recommendations that we give you today will bear fruit long into the future.

Every product we recommend for you, every treatment choice and all of the lifestyle advice given are designed with the same result in mind – to give you gradual, progressive and sustainable results, for life!

Of course we take care of any temporary issues and conditions in the first few weeks to months of corrective skincare, but after that we have one eye always on the goal of anti-ageing.

Ageing gracefully, but very slowly, is our mission.

To help you to put this concept into real terms, I have made the video below to show you the results on my own skin of great daily skincare and targeted treatment choices, charted over a five year period in photos and numbers.

For reference, here is a typical day in my home skincare routine:

Morning:
Rinse with warm water and a microfibre cloth.
Apply Hydra collagen Serum (anti-ageing) mixed with a few drops of Hyaluronic+ Moisture Boost Serum (plumping and revitalising).
Follow with Skin Comfort Cream on days that I am feeling a bit dry or the weather is very cold.
SPF30 over the top.

Evening:
Cleanse with Skin Comfort Cleanser and a microfibre cloth.
Apply either a mix of Lipid Repair Concentrate/Skin Comfort Cream (to maintaining lipid balance and strengthen skin barrier)
OR
Overnight Repair Cream followed by Skin Comfort Cream (anti-ageing and repairing).

In winter I tend to go for the Lipid Repair 4-5 nights a week, with the Overnight Repair Cream the other 2-3. In the summer I switch it around.

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For clinical treatments I tend to keep it very simple. I am a big fan of microneedling for anti-ageing and have that done 3 times a year (after an initial course of 3).
I only exfoliate my skin a few times a year, and that tends to be if I have repair work to do such as after being sick or at a change of season, and will do this as part of an express facial followed by an LED rejuvenation, every couple of months or so.
Once or twice a year I use hydroporation needle-free hyaluronic acid plumping system to keep the area around my lips plumped up and line-free. As I am only using this as a prevention I keep the dosage low and infrequent, usually doing it before a big event, although this can be used in a series of 3 for anyone who already has lip lines to reverse.

Do have a look at the video for my before and afters and let me know your thoughts!

Mariga x

Are you concerned with visible signs of ageing on YOUR skin?

Then join us this July/August for our AGE SLOWLY event. Click here for details.

Have you read Mariga’s e-book yet? ‘The Skincare Rules’ is packed full of simple, easy to implement tips that will help to get you great skin – for life!

Buy Mariga’s book here for just €2.99